


Return the Favor

by ussnicole



Series: Dirty Work [4]
Category: All Time Low
Genre: Alex is a turd, Implied Sexual Content, Jack is sad, M/M, Miscommunication, One Night Stands, Pining, Reluctant Love, Songfic, a lot of it, all time low - Freeform, but like, dirty work, return the favor, they bump and grind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-22 23:16:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11390454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ussnicole/pseuds/ussnicole
Summary: Jack has poured his heart into a goddamn one sided relationship.He just wishes that Alex would return the favor.





	1. Chapter 1

You know, I haven’t always been this cynical. I was once naïve, young, and in love. Seems those three are synonyms. No, now I’m lying in my bed on a Sunday afternoon, broken heart feeling much more like a broken bone. I feel like someone’s run me over with a car.

It’s because of him.

Alex Gaskarth.

That sexy motherfucker.

He’s such an asshole, but he’s so goddamn hot that I can’t get away from him. Me, Jack Barakat, your regular boy next door. I should have known I was in for it when he moved to the apartment across from mine. I hardly remember how we got into this mess; it seems one day we were bumping into each other in the hall and exchanging pleasantries, and then next we were bumping something a little more x rated. Of course, he never wanted it to be official. Every time the words “just friends” came out of his mouth I broke a little. Should have known it would come to this.

How could I not notice the steady stream of one night stands? I didn’t even have the right to be offended because while he had my heart, I had a warm spot in his bed every other week. I couldn’t get away from him, and I couldn’t stay.

Which brings me to now. Oh boy.


	2. Chapter 2

First, let’s rewind a little. Last night: we just finished off one of our “bump and grind” sessions and I’m lying in his bed. He’s on his phone, which is just typical. Then he turns to me and starts kissing up my neck, rolling so I can feel him all the way down my side. But I don’t want this anymore, I want to talk. I want this to be something more, something real.

I tell him as much.

It does not go well.

After insulting me by laughing in my face when I tell him that I want to be more than “just friends” which is pretty obviously _not_ what we are, he has the audacity to ask me to stay as I’m pulling on my shirt. He says it in such a soft, pleading tone, and I feel my resolve crumble slightly. I sit on the edge of his bed again and he curls around me, practically begging me to get back into his bed. It’s not like I have a long walk of shame, but suddenly staying seems so much more inviting.

“What do you want me to do?” I ask him quietly, refusing to meet his gaze. I know if I do I’ll never make it out of his bed.

“Lay back down.”

“I’ve given everything to you, Alex. I wish you would return the favor.” And with that, I stand and grab my shoes.


	3. Chapter 3

Cut to today: me, bed, broken heart. He didn’t even say anything when I left. I don’t know how to feel about it. Lying here I realize that he never has the lights on when we’re together. I wonder what happened to make him such a cold hearted whore, and then I feel bad about thinking that and want to go apologize. That’s just stupid though. He doesn’t know – or care, for that matter – what I think.

I’m shaken out of my thoughts by a soft knock on the door, which is unexpected. No one ever visits me except Alex, and he’s got too much pride to come crawling to me. He usually likes it the other way around.

To my surprise, however, he’s standing outside me door when I go to see who it is. I almost slam the door in his face, but he puts his hands up and looks at me. He looks like he hasn’t slept at all.

“Please,” is the only word out of my mouth, and somehow my dumbass takes that as a sign to let him in.

“What do you want?” I ask, maybe a bit sharper than I should have. He sighs and rubs his eyes.

“Are we just gonna throw what we have away?” I can only laugh at this.

“I thought we didn’t have anything? We’re ‘just friends,’ Alex,” I remind him, parroting his words. He winces at me.

“Is that how you feel?” He mumbles. He looks like he’s about to cry. I’m not sure what’s going on, so I don’t say anything. Alex goes on, though: “Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I just need to walk out that door and leave you alone. Maybe this is all a game and… oh god. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m an asshole, I’m sorry I led you on, I’m sorry I hurt you.” He blurts this all out so fast that I hardly catch it, but when I understand what he’s saying, I start at him like he’s grown two heads.

“What?” is the only eloquent syllable I can force out of my mouth.


	4. Chapter 4

“I care about you, okay?” Alex groans, clearly frustrated. It might be his period. I’ve never seen this much emotion.

“This is rich coming from the king of the one night stand,” I tell him. I’m not buying this shit yet.

The rest of the evening goes on in this mildly entertaining fashion. About halfway through it’s clear what Alex wants to say; he’s just afraid to say it. So I play around. I ask him questions, I doubt him, I act like I’m over him and I’m a lost cause, and finally… he says it.

“Goddamn it, Jack, I love you! I fucking love you, okay? I can’t just let you go because you’re it for me, and I’ve been avoiding it because love is fucking weird but there you have it.”

We do a bit more bumping after that.


End file.
